A/N: Just to let you know, this is sort of a dark fic. I tried to put a little humor into it but it just doesn't sound funny! Some things might not be right but it's my fic so by god I'll do what I want! This is a Alternate Universe fic, because of death (You should know there's death. Of course that's IF you read the title)
Before I start, I also wish to point out a few things.
1) Thoughts are in ' ' and will hopefully be italic. Some of my stories don't make sense because the italics don't work...
2) I need to improve my writing ALOT. Every single one of my stories are too fast. And this one, I don't like the ending that much... I just don't know why.
3) I did try to put in a title that wouldn't give anything away. I sure did a great job on that o.o'.
4) Read and Review please. I'd really appreciate if someone would tell me how my writing is going. Be as picky as you want, I'd appreciate the criticism.
Thanks in advance,
-A
Suicide Case
P1: Chris
Chris Redfield stormed down the hallway. His rage was boiling over and all he wanted to do was scream. He was so sure he could have gone as far as killing something if permitted. That something would be a someone if he could have his way.
Things had happened before that had pissed him off, but never like this. Never had anything made him as angry as he was now.
He wanted to release his anger upon the being who induced this rage. But that being saw him coming and ran. Most likely it was to seek refuge behind someone bigger than Chris, like Edward or Enrico.
So what was the object to which Chris' rage was directed to?
Brad Vickers.
How he loathed that name. Sure he had gotten mad at him before, this went without saying, but now he had pushed Chris over the edge and beyond. In fact Chris was so far pushed that he had fallen over, had time to climb back up and be pushed off again.
Chris' eyes blazed as he threw the door open to find Brad hiding behind Edward.
'Shit.'
Chris forced a smile and released his vice grip on his survival knife's handle which was still in it's sheath. An attempt to kill Vickers at this moment would end badly for him. Chris was a little crazy at the moment, but not crazy enough to take on Edward.
"Hi Edward." Chris said, his voice sounding a little cheerier than he intended.
"Hi Chris. Came to get your jacket?" Chris forgot that he had left it there the previous night. This had been his destination before Joseph had interrupted him.
Chris hadn't believed Joseph when he told him what happened. When Chris heard the same story from Kenneth he exploded in a fit of anger. Joseph had a reputation for being an honest guy after all, but lately he was a bit of a tale teller. Kenneth's reputation was untarnished.
"Yeah. Stupid of me to forget it." Chris grabbed his jacket from the coat hanger and headed for the door. His eyes never left Brad as he passed by casually.
P2: Brad
Brad hid behind Edward, trying not to make eye contact with Chris. He knew that Chris knew, but just how much Chris did know he didn't know. Most likely it was the whole enchilada. Why else would Chris be hunting him down?
"What was all that about?" Edward asked, turning to face Brad.
"He knows and he's going to kill me!" Brad held his head in his hands and fell into a sitting position. "This can't be happening!"
"What does he know? You might as well tell me, I could probably help or something...." Brad shook his head. The last thing he wanted was to get someone else involved.
"No. Don't worry, I'll sort it out with Chris."
'Yeah, right. Smart Brad, real smart. You tell him that Chris' gunna kill you and then you tell him you'll sort it out. You make yourself sounds like some sorta stinkin' genius.'
"You sure you don't want help?" Edward helped Brad to his feet. Brad dusted himself off while replying.
"No, I'll be fine. Thanks anyway." Brad left the office and headed for the cafeteria. It was noon and time to fill up for the afternoon of work ahead.
'Don't need to tell him what happened; someone's bound to tell him eventually. Only Joseph and Kenneth knew about it to begin with. One of them ratted and now everyone probably knows! Jesus, why me??!'
Brad entered the cafeteria and grabbed a tray. He placed himself in the line and checked for Chris.
He found Chris in an instant. There where at least three S.T.A.R.S. members and eight officers between them which was good. There was plenty of backup if Chris did decide to do something.
Something he didn't like was the fact that Jill was directly in front of him. If Chris saw them together he would assume the worst and his rage towards Brad would worsen. Even if they where spotted in the same room he would take a fit! It didn't even matter if Chris was there or not, someone else would tell him about it.
Brad left the line and replaced his tray. For some reason, he didn't feel like eating. Now all he needed was time to think and perhaps someone to talk to. Anywhere would be fine as long as he was far away from Chris.
The RPD provided many placed to take refuge but none seemed to be out-of-the-way enough. A few places seemed pretty tempting, like that cabinet or the 'junk room' that was kept for... junk.
He remembered what a friend had told him. If you didn't want to get killed stay in an area with people.
'And I just left the most crowded area in the RPD. Great.'
Brad turned and headed upstairs. If he couldn't stay away from Chris he would defend himself instead. He went to his desk and removed his gun from the drawer. He strapped the holster to his side and placed the gun inside.
Two hands grabbed his shoulders.
"Hi Brad!!" Brad jumped and spun around, training his gun on who he presumed was Chris. The hands that had been on his shoulders where now in a defensive position.
"Don't shoot! Man, you're jumpy today." Brad let out his breath in a quick sigh and replaced his gun.
"Forest, don't do that! I could have killed you!"
"I didn't know you had a gun. How come you're so jumpy?" Brad wished he could shoot Forest just to shut him up. The last thing he wanted was Forest's scrutiny.
"Tell me what you're doing here first! Aren't you supposed to be in the caf eating??" Brad avoided having to answer Forest's question. It was really delaying the inevitable because Forest could be as curious as Joseph when he wanted to be.
"Captain said I had to finish my report first or I wasn't gonna get to eat today. He can be really strict sometimes, dontcha think?" Forest crossed his arms.
"Sure can. But didn't he ask for that report three days ago?" Brad raised an eyebrow. Forest must have really been slacking off to not finish a report on time. He was a pretty punctual guy after all.
"Yeah. I haven't been havin' my dinner for three days now!" Forest laughed and sat back at his desk. He seemed to think momentarily before continuing to type out the report.
Brad turned to leave, relieved that he had avoided having to tell Forest what was bugging him.
"Brad?"
"What? Hurry it up, I have to get to the caf before it closes!" Forest turned back to Brad.
"So what has been bugging you?" Brad cursed mentally. He thought he had gotten away.
"It's... someone's really pissed at me... and... I know he's going to try to kill me-" Brad didn't have a chance to finish before Forest but in. His tone became serious.
"Brad, you realise people are always pissed at you because of something or other. You can't make everyone happy. I'm sure this person doesn't really want to kill you." Forest stood up and trotted over to the door next to Brad. Brad grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him.
"You don't get it! He wants me dead!" Forest grabbed Brad's wrists to stop himself from being shaken.
"Get real, no one wants to kill you. Who is it anyway?"
"Chris."
"You're joking, right? Chris? Chris Redfield? Ha!" Forest let go of Brad and started laughing.
"I'm serious!"
"Sure, Brad. Sure." Forest returned to his desk and sat down to finish his report. He kept an eye on Brad. He watched him stand there looking pitiful. After a few moments he left.
"Poor Chickenheart." Forest shook his head.
Part 3: Forest
Forest continued to type at the report. His stomach was grumbling and it would continue to grumble until he returned home. It was like this for the past three days and would continue to be so until he finished the report. The problem was that he kept getting distracted. If he didn't get back on track soon he would be risking his career. Enrico became very serious with him the day before about the consequences if he kept slacking off. That little chat had scared Forest to hell.
Now he was glumly typing away. It wasn't anyone's fault he got these mood swings, it was all his fault for bringing himself down.
He whipped his head around when he heard the door creaked open.
'Great, another distraction. Might as well give up on ever finishing this...'
"Forest? Still here?" Forest nodded and rolled his eyes. Kenneth took a seat next to him.
"I'm still slaving away at this damned report which should have been done three days ago." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
"It's your own fault for shirking your duties." Kenneth studied the report and concluded it was three pages long. Three pages long for three whole days of work?! "Only three pages?" He laughed.
"Shut up. It's true though, I really should get it done. Can't seem to motivate myself though." His stomach grumbled as he leaned on his elbow. "Hungry..." Kenneth laughed and stuffed a brown bag in front on Forest.
"Enjoy. I greased the cook's hands and sneaked it out of the kitchen. You owe me big time for this. Don't tell anyone I did it or Enrico's going to be very mad at me." He grinned.
"Thank you!" Forest began scoffing down the contents. "Kenneth?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you know what's up between Brad and Chris?"
"Sure do."
"Tell me?"
"Ok then. I presume you know that Jill and Chris where dating recently, correct?"
"Yeah, of course. Everyone knows that."
"For some reason Jill became angry with Chris. I can't tell you why, because I do not know myself. Anyway, she made Chris jealous by going with someone else. Catch my drift?"
"So she dated Brad?"
"Yes. I'm afraid it went further than just dating. She slept with him."
"Shit! If I know Chris like I think I know him... Brad had better watch himself." Kenneth nodded. Forest wished he had listened to Brad mere moments ago and heard to the entire story instead of just the part Brad was afraid of.
Part 4: Brad
Brad shut the door of the lounge behind him quietly and sat on the couch. He let his head fall back and rest. A loud sigh escaped his lungs as he relaxed. This was the one place in the RPD that always seemed to be empty at this time of day.
'Relax Brad, just relax already. Everyone's in the office working right now, there's no way Chris or Jill can find you.
Just hope none of my superiors find me here.
What are you saying? You're not worried about your stinkin' boss finding you! You're worried about Chris finding you!'
"Dammit, talking to myself is becoming a bad habit." Brad voiced. His voice startled him a bit. It had been a little too quiet when he spoke.
'This whole thing started this morning and you're already letting it get to you?
I can't make it stop I have to let it fix itself...
Listen to yourself Brad! Let this whole thing blow over? How's it supposed to blow over?!'
Brad's musing was interrupted when the door to the lounge open and Jill stepped in cautiously.
'So much for empty...'
Brad placed both hands on his forehead and groaned.
"What, not happy to see me, Brad?"
"Not right now, no."
"Why not? I thought you had fun last night?"
"Jill, leave me alone. You've already done enough to-" Brad was abruptly cut short by Jill's lips crushing his. She straddled his waist and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Brad's heart leaped and did a somersault. Memories of the previous night flooded his mind. The car ride... the bar... the drinks... Jill's apartment... her bed...
Panic welled inside of Brad and he abruptly slammed his palms against her shoulders and knocked her off. He shot up and bolted from the room as quickly as his legs would allow.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! What if Chris had seen that? Shit!'
Brad hid in a storage closet and left the door open slightly to allow himself to see outside. He gasped when he realized how long he had been holding his breath.
He watched Jill as she passed by, obviously looking for him. She stopped at the Bravo's office but seemed to hesitate. She then continued on to the cafeteria.
When Brad was sure she had gone he went back to the lounge. He knew she wouldn't come looking for him there for a long time.
His assumption of Jill's tracking skills where obviously lousy to horrible, because at that moment the door he had entered through opened.
"Thought you could outdo me, huh?" Jill said while closing the door.
"Jill, please stop this! Chris' already pissed enough at me as it is. Can you please go talk to him and sort this out for my sanity's sake?" Brad watched as a mischievous grin crept across Jill's face.
'Oh shit. I shouldn't have said that. A pissed Chris is probably exactly what she wants right now!'
"Aw, is Chris giving Brad a hard time?" Jill slung her arms over Brad's shoulders. "Look, just give it a few days and it will blow over. Chris doesn't usually stay mad for long." "You sure?" Brad wriggled to get from under Jill's arm.
"Of course." Something about the way Jill had replied made Brad feel uneasy. His uneasiness worsened when he felt a hand on his butt.
"Jill! No more!" Jill pushed Brad onto the couch and sat on him. Brad tried standing, but her weight was too much for him.
They both turned their heads when the door opened.
'Shit shit shit shit shit shit!'
Chris stood in the doorway with a look fit to kill.
Jill stood quickly and adjusted her hair. Brad stood up and prepared for the run of his life.
"Jill, what are you doing with Brad?" Asked Chris in a very menacing tone.
"He pulled me down with him, I told him not to but he did it anyway." Jill plastered the most innocent look she could muster on her face. Brad's jaw dropped.
'You fucking bitch!'
"Liar! She forced herself onto me, I couldn't stop her. Chris, please believe me!" Brad pleaded with the younger man. Brad may have been older than Chris but Chris was much bigger than Brad. Brad didn't even dare to mess with Chris.
Before Brad even had a chance to realize just how angry Chris was he ran for the door opposite to the one Chris had entered. He tried the handle but it wouldn't budge. That part of the RPD was still under reconstruction.
'Oh shiiiiiiiiiit. Shit shit shit.'
"I'm gonna rip you to shreds, Vickers!" Chris boomed and headed for Brad.
"Chris I can explain!" Brad backed into the corner like the coward everyone dubbed him to be.
"Explain this you fuckin' player!!" Chris punched Brad before proceeding to grab his neck, trip him up and try to smash his skull on the floor.
Jill having noticed the gravity of the situation had gone to find someone to help pull Chris off, leaving Chris and Brad alone.
"Ch...ris...!" Brad yelped while his head pounded the floor repeatedly. He managed to pull off one of Chris' arms. When he did, the other hand came up and planted another punch to his face.
Chris gave up the punching bag routine and stood. He then kicked Brad repeatedly while the receiver of the kicks curled up in a foetal position and curled his arms around his head.
"Stop!!" Chris ignored Brad's pleas and continued to kick him until his body became limp. Even when Brad became unresponsive and his arms fell from around his head Chris continued to kick him out of sheer rage.
Jill entered the room with Wesker and Enrico in tow. They grabbed Chris and pulled him away from Brad.
"I'll kill him if he ain't already dead! I swear!!"
"Chris shut up!" Chris quieted at the sound of the order. Enrico knelt next to Brad and shook his shoulder.
"Brad?" He put two fingers to Brad's neck. "He's unconscious. Get a medic in here."
"Chris, you could have killed him! What where you thinking?" Chris glared at Wesker angrily. He opened his mouth to protest but shut it quickly.
"Leave me the fuck alone." Chris turned his head to avoid the cold stare Enrico was giving him. The last this he wanted was bad tension between himself and his superiors. Too bad he already had enough bad tension to last him the rest of his life.
Part 5: Jill
Jill watched as Wesker dragged Chris to the office by the hair. She turned her attention to Brad who lay unconscious on the floor. She kind of felt sorry for him. It was all her fault to begin with and he was the one suffering because of it. She began to wish se hadn't used Brad like she did.
"Miss Valentine?" Jill continued to stare into the distance. "Jill!" Jill was snapped back to reality by her name being called.
"Yes?" Jill watched Brad's still form, avoiding Enrico's stare.
"Did you see what happened?" Enrico rolled Brad onto his back while being careful not to hurt him.
"Chris attacked Brad. I left when it started so I didn't really see all of it." Jill couldn't help but pity Brad as he lay there unconscious and unaware of what was happening.
"Do you know why he attacked Brad?"
"Yes, he saw me with him... he was jealous." Jill bowed her head in shame. She stared and the ground. There was a long silence between herself and Enrico.
Jill raised her eyes and watched as he picked Brad up and lay him on the couch.
"Is that all?" Jill had to think before she answered. She debated in her mind weather or not to tell him what was going on between herself, Brad and Chris.
'It's better if he doesn't know.'
"Yes, that's all sir." She sighed a long sigh.
'Please don't badger me about it...'
"Disappointing, I thought you of all people wouldn't hide anything, Jill."
"Pardon?" Jill's heart began to thump faster. He couldn't possibly have known...
"I heard the rumors, Jill. I'm not stupid, I can see what goes on here."
"I'm not calling you stupid, Enrico. I just didn't think you needed to know the whole story. I'm sorry I kept it from you but if you say you know what went on there's really no point in me telling you, is there?"
"True." The was a long pause. "Where is Wesker with that medic?"
"We have a medic?"
"She was just hired by Irons. Her name's Rebecca Chambers. Kid's got a list of credentials a mile long and she's only eighteen." Enrico chuckled.
"Eighteen? I thought you had to be at least twenty with five years experience to join S.T.A.R.S.?"
"She's highly qualified." That shut Jill up. She was looking forward to having a new rookie on the team. Maybe it would finally give her some time off from being referred to as "the rookie".
Part 6: Brad
The first thing Brad saw when he woke up where two bright blue eyes staring back at him. For a moment he thought it was Jill, until he realized that Jill was standing next to the door. The young woman held up two fingers in front of Brad's face.
"How many fingers?" She asked.
"Five..." Brad groaned and tried to sit up.
"Five? Seriously?"
"Yes... One, two, three, four..." Brad paused. "Two. I see two now."
"Good. Any pain?"
"Everywhere." Whimpered Brad.
"Chris was kicking you. No wonder you're in pain." Jill mused from her position next to the door. Brad would have replied but he really didn't feel like talking to Jill at the moment.
Brad's eyes wandered to the clock. It was almost seven which meant he could leave soon.
"Fine, be that way." Jill stormed out of the lounge and slammed the door behind her, knocking a painting off of the wall.
"Think you can walk?" Asked the young woman. Brad strained his muscles to try to sit up, but every time he tried a new wave of pain would wash over him.
"Give me a minute and I'll be up." Brad chuckled, but that hurt too. He didn't want her to think he was a wimp.
"My name's Rebecca. I... work here." She smiled despite her uneasiness.
"Brad. I've been working here for a while." The door to the lounge opened. Brad watched as Forest stepped into the room and shut the door. Rebecca hadn't heard him because she was still tending to Brad.
"Hey Forest. Why are you here?" Rebecca turned her head to catch a glimpse of who Brad was talking too.
"Hi Forest." Rebecca echoed. By the way she acted Brad figured she had already met Forest.
"So you're the new medic we've been bugging for. No offense, but I thought they'd get someone older and.. y'know... male." Forest smiled at her. Smiled was an understatement; he was grinning like a shark. Brad knew he was up to something.
Rebecca was obviously wiser than she looked. The next thing Brad knew she was up and swatting Forest with a first aid spray.
"Ouch! Take it easy! I'm sorry, Becca!!" Brad laughed. He continued to laugh as long as Rebecca was swatting Forest. Brad had been wishing for something like that to happen to Forest, the guy was always on his case. Although Brad hated that fact he still liked the man. Everyone seemed to like him and you couldn't stay mad at him for very long.
Brad had known Forest long before they started working together. Brad was roller-blading in the park with his sister when he first met Forest. It was Brad's first time on roller blades and, like everyone, he was really crappy with them. May (his sister)pushed him down a hill and, naturally, Brad couldn't steer but did his best to avoid butting in to anyone. He failed poorly and but in to someone and that someone had been Forest. When Brad had recovered from the impact he expected to be slugged in the face but to his surprise the person he had crashed into was red with laughter. They got to talking and quickly became friends.
Brad stood up and walked to the door. He had to go to the office and get his jacket so he could get going. His shift was over and it was time to go home.
"Seeya." Brad voiced as he shut the door behind him.
"Bye!" Rebecca's cheerful voice echoed out the door, accompanied with a few thwacks.
"Later!" Forest's voice was almost lost in the thumping sounds emanating from the room. Brad rushed back to the office to gather his material possessions and leave. This day had been, by far, much to long...
--
The door to the apartment opened and Brad stepped in. He threw his jacket on the counter and collapsed onto the couch. Brad squirmed a bit to get comfortable. He would have gone get a snack if he had the energy to do so but at the moment he was too tired to move.
Just when he was about to nod off the phone rang. He jumped at the sound. Reaching over the arm of the sofa he felt for the phone. He picked up the receiver and slurred a lazy "Hello?" Before sitting upright.
"Brad, you fucking liar! You told me there was nothing going on between you and this Jill person!" Brad immediately recognized his girlfriend's voice and shot up, his mind fully awake.
"Amanda? There's nothing going on between us! I swear!"
"Oh yeah? Well why the hell did Chris just call and tell me you fucking slept with her?!" Amanda was screaming her anger into the phone. Brad had to move it a distance from his ear so he wouldn't go deaf.
'Chris!!!'
"I... I'm sorry Mandi, just hear me out, please!" Brad used her pet name to try and calm her down. He knew it was no use, she was going to hang up on him and that was that.
"You player! It's over, it's so OVER!!!" Brad listened deject as the line made a click sound and went dead. That was it, she just ended their relationship. Four years he had spent with her and it had only taken her a minute to end it all.
Brad hung up the phone and sat on the couch. He blinked a few timed before realizing he was crying. Everything was coming down around his ears and he had no way of stopping it.
So Brad did the next best thing; he collapsed in a heap and bawled.
...:::the next morning:::...
The RPD was full when Brad arrived. He had accidentally slept in late while mulling whether or not he should call in sick. He decided against it. It was much better to face Chris and Jill today than it would have been to face them later. On the other hand the breakup would cause bad tension between himself and Edward, because Amanda was Edward's sister, and Edward was very protective. He dreaded having to face him.
Sure enough, Edward was waiting for him.
'Ohhhhh SHIT!'
Brad would have made a U-turn for home but Edward was already heading towards him.
'No turnin' back now. Suck it up Brad, Edward has more sense than to resort to violence, right?'
Brad's theory on Edward's restraints flew out the window when he saw Edward's hand curl into a fist. He tried to turn around but found himself unable to move, besides it was already too late. He screwed his eyes shut. With a sudden sharp hit, he fell to the floor, making a loud thudding sound as his body bounced before coming to a stop. This was enough to attract the attention of every officer in the room. They watched as Edward walked away, a look of disgust on his face.
Brad eased himself up.
"You ok?" Forest came running.
"Feels like I got hit by a train..." Forest helped Brad to his feet.
"What's his problem? I thought it was Chris that was mad at you." Forest turned Brad's face sideways so he could get a better look at Brad's left eyes which was shut.
"Amanda dumped me. Chris told her what happened." There was no need for him to tell Forest about it. Brad assumed he didn't know and hoped to keep it that way.
"You shouldn't have slept with Jill. Bad move, Chickenheart." Forest touched Brad's eye lightly. Brad winced from the pain.
"You know?" Brad whimpered in dismay.
"Kenneth told me. You're gonna have one hell of a shiner tomorrow. He musta hit you pretty damn hard, it's already bruising. Want me to get you an ice pack?" Forest motioned towards the hall which led to the kitchen.
"Sure. Thanks Forest."
"No prob." Forest and Brad headed for the kitchen.
Brad was happy to have Forest to follow. He didn't think he would be able to make it to the kitchen by himself with his head swimming like it was. They appeared in the kitchen a few minutes later.
"Who else knows?" Brad asked while Forest fetched the ice from the ice machine.
"Edward knows for sure. So does Chris, Kenneth and myself. I think Enrico knows as well. Wesker might know, Rebecca doesn't, Joseph does and I'm a assuming Richard, Kevin and Barry don't. As for the rest of the RPD, some of them might have heard. Doesn't matter in the long run; everyone's gonna find out eventually. The worst part is that Jill's probably gonna blame it on you or say it was rape. If she says it's rape, well..." Brad groaned and slumped.
"I'm gonna end up in jail and out of a job. This can't be happening." He said flatly. Forest handed him a bag of ice.
"Makeshift ice pack. I couldn't find a real one. Sorry if it's a little sloppy." Forest sat on the counter while Brad adjusted the ice in the ziplock bag and then placed it on his eye.
'He could have at least crushed the ice. It's too damn awkward in big chunks.'
"Thanks again Forest. You're probably the only person here who likes me." Brad stared at the floor, his eyes glassy with fresh tears.
"Now c'mon Brad! Lotsa people like you!" Forest made a big gesture with his arms.
"Like who?" Brad asked while rubbing his eye furiously.
"Well... there's Kenneth... and.... Enrico still likes you."
"Forest he has to like me whether he likes it or not; he's my captain. As for Kenneth you can't really tell what he's thinking..."
"Well then, I'm sure Rebecca likes you!" Forest was trying hard to sound cheerful. He couldn't see how Rebecca stayed like that all the time.
"She just got here, she'll learn to hate me just like everyone else. No one likes chickens..." Forest frowned, but his smile deceived his mood.
"I'm sure Wesker likes you!" Forest immediately regretted saying that.
"Yeah, right. He wants me fired, remember? He said I was too irresponsible to be a pilot."
"Ok, bad example. Aha, I know Barry likes you!"
"Likes to pick on me. Let's face it, there's no one besides you."
"What about Richard? Chief Irons and Joseph too! They must like you!"
"Forest, Joseph like everyone. I'm actually starting to think he's bisexual. Chief Irons can't even remember my name and Richard won't even give me the time of day. You're the only one who likes me here."
"Seriously? You think Joseph's bi?" A big grin crossed Forest's face. "Maybe that's why he looks at Richard funny. Ack, thinking about it put images in my head. Darnit!" Forest thumped the side of his head repeatedly to try to amuse Brad. It obviously wasn't working. Brad just sighed.
"I hate my life." Brad choked and started to cry.
"Don't cry... it'll all blow over, you'll see!" Forest gave Brad a playful punch in the shoulder but Brad just continued crying.
"Look, let's make a deal! I'll be there for you and you be there for me, ok?" Brad didn't respond.
Forest got up to leave.
"I'll be in the office. I'll be there if you need someone to talk to. Call me if you want to talk about it sometime." Forest made the phone gesture with his hand and left. Brad sat in the corner and curled up in a ball.
Brad continued to cry until his eyes where puffy and his voice was raspy.
--
The cooks came around eleven to start the preparations for dinner. They kicked Brad out because they didn't want anyone contaminating the food (although it was probably already contaminated cafeteria food, shudder).
So Brad was left to wander the halls even though he should be in the office working. He continued to walk until he made his way to the front door of the RPD. He was seriously thinking of going home and calling in with small pox or something of the sort. Before he could reach the front door someone grabbed him by the arm. He spun around fully expecting to get punched again.
"Hi!" Rebecca chirped.
"Hi." Brad's voice was still very raspy.
"What's wrong?" Asked the young medic. Her gaze was locked on the black and purple ring around his left eye.
"Something personal." He paused. "My girlfriend broke up with me and it's put bad tension between me and some of the officers here."
"Oh." She sounded like she believed every word of it.
'That's not even the worst part.'
"Why'd she break up with you, you seem like a nice guy!" Rebecca placed her arms behind her back which made her look innocent.
"That's the personal part. I can't tell you, sorry." Brad couldn't even force a smile.
"That's ok. Um, Enrico told me to find you and tell you to come to the office because he has something important to tell you. But if you want to leave I'll just tell him I didn't see you." Rebecca smiled.
"Too late, he found us." Brad motioned to their captain standing at the opposite end of the hall with arms crossed looking slightly aggravated.
"Does he always look like that?" Asked Rebecca nervously.
"Only when he has some bad news... Hope it's about me and not you." Brad whispered as Enrico motioned them to follow him.
Brad and Rebecca followed him into the empty conference room.
Part 7: Enrico
Enrico scratched his head nervously.
"Rebecca, I need to talk to Brad alone. Can you go back to the office, please?" Rebecca nodded and turned to leave. She said goodbye to Brad and Enrico before closing the door behind her.
Brad didn't even have the heart to say anything to Enrico.
"Wesker and I have been talking about your behavior at work lately. Now, it's not because of this incident with Jill I'm telling you this, we just feel that you've been negligent with your work. For example the chopper you crashed last week. That costed the RPD a lot of money to have it replaced. Do you realize that's the second chopper you've crashed in your years of work here? Chief Irons is not happy about that and neither is the mayor." He paused to collect his thoughts. "I'm sorry Brad, but if this keeps up we're going to have to ask you to resign." Enrico didn't look at Brad when he said it. He could already feel the tension between them thicken like molasses in the fridge. He stole a glance at Brad.
'Poor kid looks pitiful. Chris must really be getting to him. I'd really hate to see him loose his job, but he was warned.'
Enrico watched as Brad straightened up and cleared his throat.
"I guess I should resign then. It's no use trying, right now I'm going through a really rough time." Brad ran his fingers through his hair. "I guess I should give you my ID card then..." He looked like he was about to cry again.
"Keep it. I'm just saying we might have to ask you to eventually. Doesn't mean we're going to kick you off yet!" He chuckled. Brad still stewed in what looked to be depression.
'Wish I could help him. He looks like he needs cheering up.'
"Thanks for the warning, captain." Enrico squeezed Brad's shoulder reassuringly.
"C'mon, lets' go. You've still got work to catch up on." Enrico dragged Brad along behind him and back to the office.
Part 8: Brad
Brad sat at his desk reading through a newspaper article about a murder in the suburbs of Raccoon. Apparently the target had been the owner of a successful bar downtown. Seems like the man had owed money and wasn't paying it, so he was killed my the mob.
Brad got up to get another newspaper with more articles on the murder. As he passed Edward's desk he tripped and fell. He looked up in time to see Edward grin and pretend like there was nothing different.
"Watch where you walk, Vickers! Some of us are trying to work here!" Edward spat at him before giving him a brutal shove with his foot. This only made Brad feel worse.
"Mr. Dewey there will be no tripping in here. If you continue to act like a child, I'll continue to treat you as one. Capish?" Enrico shot a glare at Edward.
"Capish..." Edward gave Brad a cold stare before turning away. Brad stood and fetched the newspaper. On his way back he was careful not to trip over Edward's leg again.
"Captain, where's Forest?" Brad asked after he had been sitting a while. Truthfully, he hadn't seen Forest at all since he was left alone in the kitchen.
"He's in the Alpha's office, why?"
"I need to talk to him."
"About what?"
"He has the other article I need to complete my research." Lied Brad. All he wanted was to talk to Forest.
"Go ahead. But don't be long." Enrico waved a finger at Brad as he stood and exited the office. He could faintly hear Edward mutter as he left.
"You fucking player." Brad had to try hard to choke back the tears.
Brad made his way to the Alpha's office and knocked at the door. No one answered so he checked the door. Oddly, it was unlocked. It was always locked when no one was inside. He entered the office to find it empty.
"Where is everyone?" Then he remembered that they had an assembly at the moment.
Brad walked around the office relishing the fact that he was alone. He spotted Barry's magnum revolver on his desk and picked it up.
A thought crossed Brad's mind. He could end this all right now. With a simple pull of the trigger he could make all his troubles vanish and everyone would be better off without him.
'I can't kill myself, can I?'
Brad shuddered at the thought of being shot with such a high caliber weapon.
'Sure I can. It only takes one shot. Just put the gun to my head and pull the trigger. A little pull is all I need...'
Brad replaced the revolver on the table. A magnum was much too powerful for this. He continued to pace the office until he spotted another possibility; Chris' survival knife. He picked it up and stroked the cool metal of the dark blade.
'This will do nicely. But what if it doesn't work? I'd just have to stab myself again. The pain doesn't last forever...'
Brad took a piece of paper and a pen from Wesker's desk and started writing. He had to hurry before they came back.
To whom this may concern,
Fuck you all. Fuck you Jill, Fuck you Edward, Fuck you Amanda, Fuck you Wesker, Fuck you ESPECIALLY Chris. Fuck you too Enrico even if you where nice to me. You all fucked me over real good. It was all of you that pushed me to do this you sick sons of bitches. So how does it feel to know that you killed me? How does it feel to know that I died because of what you did? Feels bad? Good!!
Forest, I'm sorry. I really wanted to talk to you but you weren't here. I saw Barry's magnum and just thought about killing myself. It's not your fault.
So this is goodbye,
Brad
He sat down on Chris' chair.
'I want you to pay Chris. I want you to feel the worst... I want YOU to feel the guilt.'
Brad put the suicide note on Chris's desk. First he cleared off the desk by pushing everything off the side with a swift flick of the arm.
Before he stabbed himself, he pulled the survival knife across both his wrists one at a time. Warm blood flowed freely on his hands where it dripped slowly to the floor. Each drop was accompanied by another and then another. So much blood flowed freely that a puddle formed on the floor. Brad began to feel lightheaded.
Brad then raised his blood-coated arms and held the survival knife in both hands above his chest. The knife was shaking because his hands where trembling so much from being nervous. He began to cry uncontrollably. This was it; the end of his story.
With a surge of adrenaline he plunged the knife into his stomach just under his rib cage.
He let out a cry as wave of pain coursed through his body. The pain electrified him, making his senses come to life. Hot tears streamed down his face as his white shirt began to soak the red liquid emanating from the wound.
But the electricity died and was replaced by a sharp stinging. That too died away and was replaced by burning. The burning faded and severe queasiness ensued. Brad thought he was going to throw up but then realized it was because of the wound he inflicted upon himself. He smiled as he began to feel numb, his life slipping away with his consciousness.
"Freedom..." Brad choke with his last ounce of strength. His eyes finally shut for the last time.
Final Part: Forest
Forest was the first to enter the Alpha's office. He had ran to the office ahead of everyone else. He grinned when he saw Brad in Chris' chair with his back turned to him. All of Chris' stuff was on the floor.
'Maybe Chickenheart has a spine after all!'
"Brad, whatcha doin' here?" Forest asked as he dropped a hand on the back of the chair and spun it around. He stopped smiling.
Brad was slouching in the chair with one hand on Chris' knife and the other arm slung over the arm of the chair. His head was lolling to the side and his face was emotionless. The knife was embedded into his chest, just above his heart.
'Shit no... Brad... How could you...?'
Forest stepped back and the severity of what had happened sank it. He crumbled to his knees. How could someone kill themself?
His thoughts where interrupted when he heard Jill, Chris and Barry talking. He stood up, waiting for them to arrive. Barry was the first in the office.
"Forest, what are you looking at?" Barry looked past Forest to Brad's corpse. "Christ..." Chris and Jill followed behind Barry and had heard him swear. When they caught sight of what the two men where looking at, Jill placed a hand on her mouth and Chris closed his eyes in disgust.
"Brad?" Jill walked over to him in disbelief. "No... he can't be... it isn't real..."
"He killed himself. I can't believe Chike... Brad had the courage to kill himself." Barry shook his head. Wesker came into the office, wondering why everyone was standing there like lost puppies.
"What's going on?" Wesker asked.
"Brad... he..." Was all Forest could say. Wesker's eyes fell on Brad and he dropped the file he was holding.
"Fuck!" Wesker knelt next to him and placed two fingers against his neck. "Jesus... he's dead." Wesker bowed his head in a moment of silence for a fallen comrade. Never in a million years would he have thought that Brad would kill himself.
Wesker removed the knife carefully and picked up the corpse. He exited the room with the entire team in tow all save for Forest; he had caught sight of the note. He picked it up and read it quietly.
'He sounds so angry. It's all my fault... my fault. I should have been there. I should have told someone. I should have... Oh God I don't know what I should have done...'
He choked as he spoke softly to himself.
"Brad... you could have told me... I told you I was there for you..."
Forest collapsed onto the floor and began to cry.
Fin